Always and Forever
by Marissa-Xtreme SelDem Fan
Summary: "If you're out chasin' all your dreams, tell me where does that leave me?" Mikiley. Sorry, I suck at summaries, but the story is really good!


**Author's Note: **Hey all! Wow, I can't believe it's been almost a year since I've posted anything! I've had little time to write lately and even less inspiration, but I've been working on a few stories. I've had this one on my mind ever since I started listening to Lady Antebellum (AWESOME group!) and I heard "Things People Say" (AWESOME song!). This little one-shot is based off of that song. You should listen to it or read the lyrics before you read this story, but it's not mandatory, you can read the story without it. I don't know how it ever came about as a Mikiley since I usually write SelDem/Demena, but as soon as I heard the song, I instantly thought of it as a Mikiley. I hope you guys like it! I'm pretty proud of this one! Please be kind in your reviews, it's been a long time since I've written anything and it's my first Hannah Montana/Mikiley story!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything. The characters are property of Hannah Montana and Disney Channel. Some dialogue was taken from Hannah Montana episode "I'll Always Remember You" but modified to fit the storyline and characters. The song "Things People Say" is property of Lady Antebellum and Capitol Nashville Records.

**Rating: **K+ - T

**Always and Forever**

**Miley's POV**

I don't know why I do this to myself. It's torture looking back at the past, but sometimes it's good too. If you can get through all the hurt and pain, the happy times are worth remembering, no matter how small or fleeting. It was early in the morning and I couldn't sleep. I'd heard news that _she _had come to town to perform a concert last night. I wondered if she knew I was still here. Did she ever think about me? There wasn't an hour that passed by that I didn't think about her. I had taken out all my old scrapbooks and started going through them, remembering happier times when we were together. I'd been in high school when I met her. In my younger years I had been international pop star sensation Hannah Montana and she had been my ultimate nemesis, always trying to take my fans and one-up me every chance she could get. It was a love/hate relationship. When Jake the Jerk, also my ex-boyfriend, dumped her, she became friends with me as Miley but we soon realized there was more than just friendship between us. Telling her that I was Hannah Montana was the scariest thing I had ever done. I was afraid that because she hated Hannah Montana, she would hate me too. It turned out better than I ever expected.

**Flashback:**

_"Hey Mi, you sounded a little nervous on the phone… is everything okay," Mikayla asked concernedly as she gave her girlfriend a hug. "I'm fine," I sighed as I took her hand and led her towards the couch in the living room. "You don't seem fine," she replied as she rubbed her thumb over the back of my hand, "You look really worried about something. What is it? You know you can tell me anything." "I know, it's just… I have something really important I need to tell you and you could be mad…" I bit my lip, trying to fight back the tears welling behind my eyes, "really mad, but I just care about you too much to not tell you that…" I paused, taking a deep breath. "That you're Hannah Montana?" All the air escaped my lungs as I exhaled loudly and my eyes shot open in surprise. "H-How?" I barely managed to get out in confusion then I was somewhat able to compose myself, "It was that blabbermouth Jackson, wasn't it?" _

_"I didn't need any help on this one," she chuckled softly as she placed her hand on my cheek, "You both have the same beautiful blue eyes that can be as light as the sky or as dark as the ocean and you both have the same amazing smile." I grinned and leaned into her hand, "I was hoping you'd think that was just a coinkidink. I mean, come on. Six years and the rest of the world hasn't put it together." She moved her hand down to my chin and she got real close as if she were going to kiss me. I could feel her warm breath on my lips. "Well, the rest of the world isn't in love with Miley Stewart." My eyes widened as I pulled back to stare at her, "Y-You're in love with me?" "Y-Yeah," Mikayla replied nervously. "Um…" I was too in shock to say anything. I had thought she was going to be mad at me and storm out of my life forever but here she was declaring her love for me? "Unless you're not in love with me, then I take that back 'cause, you know, I'm cool," I could see past her front. There was hurt and pain in her eyes. I smiled as I lifted her chin and gave her a small kiss on the lips for a brief moment, but it held so much passion, "I'm in love with you too."_

**End Flashback**

After some more kissing I had asked her why she never told me she knew and if she knew, why did she keep up the grudge between her and Hannah? She said she knew I would tell her in time, when I felt it was right, and as for the fighting with Hannah, she said that she kept it up because she didn't want anyone to become suspicious if she suddenly stopped nagging on her. We had to keep up appearances. Sometimes it was hard to hear those hurtful words come out of the mouth of the woman I loved, but it made me feel better knowing she didn't really mean them. Whenever we had a fight as Hannah and Mikayla, later on when we were alone she would just hold me and say how sorry she was for saying those things. Being in her arms always made me feel so warm, safe and loved. I retired as Hannah when I was 19. I loved my fans, but I could only continue making cookie-cutter pop songs that appealed to young tweeny boppers for so long. I hadn't been doing much as Hannah in the last year or so, usually just appearing at awards shows and the occasional interview. I was ready to move on. I was growing up and things were serious with Mikayla. I figured it was time, so I did one last farewell tour then I hung up the Hannah wig for the last time.

I smiled as I turned the page, remembering the day this picture had been taken. It had been a beautiful evening, with the sun setting low and a myriad of pinks, oranges, and yellows filling the sky while gentle waves ebbed the shore. She was in a Catherine Dean grey chiffon halter dress and it went nicely with her natural tan while I was in a white Marchesa gown with gold sequin embroidery from the torso down. Both were very flowy and they whipped gently in the wind as we held hands and exchanged vows. That was one of the happiest days of my life.

The smile slowly slipped from my face at the next picture. It was one that brought back both good and bad memories. It was the two of us standing in front of a small white two-story house with a picket fence and front porch with a bench swing. We'd instantly fallen in love with it. You'd think that with all our money, fame, and popularity we'd have chosen some big mansion in a gated community somewhere in the hubbub of a big city, but in our hearts we were still two southern girls from small towns that loved the simple life. With our crazy and hectic lives, we needed some place that was quiet where we could just be ourselves without having to worry about the paparazzi snapping a picture everywhere we went. Plus, we wanted a family someday and we didn't want to raise them in the spotlight. A tear slipped down my cheek at the word…family. I'd almost had that.

**Flashback**

_"I can't believe it! We did it, Mik! We finally bought our own home!" I said happily as I hugged her around the shoulders and she wrapped her arms around my waist as we shared a kiss. We were still newlyweds, just a month after our wedding. "I can't wait to have a family with you," I whispered in her ear. She shivered as she pulled back with a grin spreading across her lips, "Well then let's start trying for that baby. We do need to christen our new bedroom…" I rolled my eyes and giggled as I hopped up and wrapped my legs around her waist. I shrieked as she switched positions so she could carry me bridal style. We walked up to the front door and as we crossed the threshold, Mikayla kissed me, "Welcome home, Mrs. Gomez." "I thought we agreed we were going to use my last name," I said with confusion on my face. "We did, but we both know you're mine," Mikayla grinned as she squeezed my ass and I squealed, letting out a string of giggles. "I'm yours," I nodded as I rested my head on her shoulder, "always and forever."_

**End Flashback**

Things had been going great until about a year and a half after we got married. Mikayla's music was finally getting noticed after years of it being thrown to the back burner. That had mostly been due to the backstabbing witch that was Mikayla's manager, Margot. She'd been kicked to the curb once it had come to light all the lies and broken promises she'd made. Mikayla got a call for a golden opportunity to jumpstart her career again as an adult singer, no longer singing songs meant for kids and teen audiences. I knew it was one of her dreams and who was I to stop her? I'd already lived my dream. It was time for Mikayla to live hers. She was reluctant to accept the offer despite wanting it more than anything. At the time, I had been three months pregnant and she was worried about leaving me. She would be gone for months and would have very few chances to come home. I finally convinced her to go after telling her this was an opportunity she couldn't pass up and making many promises that we would call each other, text, and video chat every chance we could get. I remember standing in the airport with my arms around her shoulders, hugging her tight and crying as I wished inside my head for her not to leave, but knowing I had to let her go.

That was the biggest mistake I ever made. I was miserable without her. To make matters worse, our conversations became shorter and less frequent. I missed her terribly. She was always busy recording or shooting a video or getting ready for a concert. Two months after she left for California, I suffered a miscarriage. It was so hard making that phone call…

**Flashback**

_Tears streamed down my face and my hands shook as I tried to dial the numbers on my phone, but they kept becoming blurry. After about ten minutes, I was finally able to punch them all in, though I hesitated another five before pressing send. It rang four times before the phone picked up and I heard her sweet voice, which only made me cry more. "Hey sweetie, how are you doing? How's the baby? Did she move around a lot today?" I choked on a sob as I placed my hand on my still swollen stomach and rubbed slowly. I'd found out a few weeks ago that we were going to have a girl. Both of us were ecstatic; we'd always wanted a girl. "Miley," Mikayla questioned worriedly. "I-I had a miscarriage. I lost the baby, Mik," I cried as I covered my face with my free hand. Even though she wasn't there with me, I didn't want her to see me. I felt so ashamed… "Oh Miley… Honey, I'm so sorry. I know how much you wanted that baby. We both did," I could hear her crying too, "Listen, I'm going to cancel the rest of the tour and come home to be with you. God, I should have never left in the first place-" I quickly cut her off, "No Mik, you can't cancel your first headlining tour. It'll ruin your career. I know how much you want this. Plus…I-I need some space right now. I need some time to deal with this on my own…" I replied as I ran a hand through my messy curls. "M-Miley, what are you saying," Mikayla asked in a scared and hurt tone. "I'm saying… don't come home. I want you to stay on tour," I said with a shuddering breath, "I-I just need some time by myself right now." "O-Okay," Mikayla said in a small voice, "Miley, I love you." I hung up after she said that. How could she still love me after what I had done? I blamed myself for losing our baby and I didn't want her here, telling me it wasn't my fault when I knew it was._

**End Flashback**

After that, we hardly talked. She gave me the space I said I wanted, but I really needed her. Each day that passed it became harder to get up in the morning, harder to face myself. I stopped taking her calls. She always asked how I was doing and I would respond with 'fine' or 'okay', but that couldn't have been farther from the truth. Days would go by and I wouldn't get out of bed. All I would do was cry. Lilly and my dad would visit every once in a while and every time they did, they became more concerned about me. Finally after about six months, they confronted me and told me to get some help. So I did. I went to counseling for a few weeks and through all of it, I began to understand that it probably wasn't my fault. Sure, there was still a small part of me that blamed myself for losing our baby… maybe I hadn't done enough, or the right things, I was under too much stress… there were a million reasons, but most of all the counseling helped me realize that for most women who miscarry, it is due to natural causes and no fault of their own.

I took a deep breath and sighed. It was always hard for me to relive that dark time in my life. I leaned my head back and rested it against the back of the couch. I knew I should be sleeping. I needed to rest any chance I could get because those times were few and far between. However, I couldn't get _her _out of my head. I never could. Tears slipped down my cheeks as I covered my face with my hands. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. We were supposed to get married, have a family, grow old together… but I just felt utterly alone. I softly hummed a tune of an old song that I listened to frequently because it seemed to mirror my life, "If you're out chasin' all your dreams, tell me where does that leave me?" I closed my eyes and, suddenly feeling exhausted, I slowly slipped into slumber.

I was awakened hours later by the ringing of the doorbell. The sun was shining bright through the windows and I was surprised I had been able to sleep so long. I wondered who it could be, especially so early in the morning. I didn't get a lot of visitors. Usually it was Lilly or my dad and they both knew never to come over or call before ten. I rushed to answer it and once I finally undid the locks, I swung the door open, ready to give whoever was behind it a talking to for coming so early. All the air escaped my lungs and my jaw dropped at the sight… of _her_. She was looking as beautiful as ever with her long curly black hair, blue and purple plaid shirt over a white tank top with a white belt, skinny blue jeans and black stiletto heels. And here I was, my hair a disheveled mess, no makeup on, and wearing baggy sweats with an oversized zip up hoodie.

I finally managed to gather words, but they came out a little raspy as I was still trying to catch my breath, "Mikayla?" "H-Hi Miley," Mikayla responded, a little nervous. She lifted her eyes to meet mine before quickly moving them back to the ground in front of her. "Wh-What are you doing here," I asked, still shocked that she was here, standing right in front of me. I wanted to reach out to her and pull her arms around me. I needed her to hug me. I needed her to hold me so bad… but I couldn't do it. She wasn't mine anymore. "Can I come in," she asked in a small voice. I briefly glanced up the stairs before reluctantly opening the door wider. As much as I was scared to let her in, I wanted to see her again, be near her. I had missed her so much… plus I also wanted to hear what she had to say. It's been almost two years since we've spoken to each other and I know it was my fault for pushing her away, but… I missed hearing her voice.

"H-How are you doing," Mikayla asked pensively, taking a quick glance around before staring back at the floor. "I'm doing okay," I responded hesitantly as I placed my hands at the back of my waist. In reality, I was not doing okay. Inside, I was nearly hyperventilating. What was she doing here? "That's good…" she replied slowly. She still wouldn't meet my eyes. I sighed, getting a little impatient and annoyed, "Is there a reason you came? Because I'm kind of busy right now." Mikayla bit her lip and was silent for a few moments. I became concerned, but I didn't show it. I had to stay strong. I could break down later, after she leaves. Mikayla never acted like this. She was always the strong one with a sassy personality, which was why we were always so good together because I was much the same way, well until… I was broken from my thoughts as Mikayla finally answered, "I wanted to talk to you about these." She held up a large manila envelope and I instantly recognized what it was. They were the divorce papers. I tried to mask the hurt expression forming on my face, instead putting on an expression of indifference. "What's there to talk about? I signed them. You got what you wanted," I replied, trying to hold the tears back. I turned and walked towards the kitchen. I needed some water and a chance to catch my breath. I was suffocating in there with her.

"Miley Ray Gomez, don't you walk away from me," Mikayla's voice rose with a growl as she followed after me, "I'm trying to talk to you here!" I whipped around to glare at her, "It's Stewart. We're not married anymore, remember?" I pointed to the envelope in her hand. She stared back at me with a hurt expression, but before she could respond, I heard a loud cry pierce the silence of the house at that moment. I barely registered Mikayla's shocked face as I passed her to rush up the stairs. I walked into the nursery and bent down over the crib, gently lifting my daughter into my arms, cradling her against my shoulder as I rubbed her back in soothing circles. "Sh… it's okay sweetheart. Mama's right here," I whispered. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mikayla standing a few feet inside the room. Tears were forming in her eyes as she watched me. "It's over, isn't it," she whispered as she dropped her head, "You've moved on. You love someone else and you have a baby…a little girl…" she turned to run out of the room, but I quickly went over and lightly grabbed her arm. She turned to look at me with tears streaming down her face and her lower lip was trembling.

"She's ours, Mik," I said softly, biting my lip, unsure of her reaction. Mikayla's eyes widened then furrowed in confusion, "What? How is that possible? You-You said you had a miscarriage…" My face fell as hurt filled me once again at being reminded of that horrible event. "A-After I lost the baby…" I swallowed hard, "I was depressed. I didn't leave the house, I barely left the bed. I hardly ate. I would cry for days at a time. I was so heartbroken… I know this all must be hard for you to hear because I know you wanted to be there for me and I told you to stay on tour. I just… I needed time to cope by myself. Six months passed and finally Lilly and my dad convinced me to get some help. It took a couple months but I finally started feeling better, almost like my normal self. I decided that I still wanted a baby and we still had some of your stem cells harvested at the fertility clinic, so I went in and had the procedure done. It didn't take the first time. I was disappointed and sad, but I tried again and it took the second time. Eight months later, she was born." I looked down at my – our – sleeping daughter.

Mikayla's facial expression had softened and she gently took my hand, "I'm so sorry you had to go through all that alone." I avoided her gaze as I mumbled, "It's not your fault. I'm the one that pushed you away." Mikayla shook her head. "I should have come back. I know you said you wanted your space, but maybe if I had been there for you, you wouldn't have been depressed for so long or I don't know… we could have gotten through things together," she squeezed my hand, "What's her name?" I smiled down at my daughter as I responded, "Brooklyn Annabelle Stewart, Brooke for short. I named her after my mom. She'll be four months old on Tuesday." "That's a pretty name. She's beautiful, Mi. She looks just like you," Mikayla said as she admired the little girl. I grinned, "Thanks. I see a bit of you in her too." Mikayla bit her lip, "Can I hold her?" I nodded as I gently placed our daughter in her arms. Mikayla carefully ran her fingertips over the baby's dark brown wisps of hair. She was silent for a few moments as she stared at her, taking her in. "Why didn't you tell me about her," she asked softly as she rubbed her thumb over the baby's tiny fist.

I sighed as I sat down in the rocking chair and ran a hand through my hair, "I don't know… You were doing so well with your music and whenever I watched your interviews or saw you perform, you looked so happy… I didn't want to take that all away from you." "Yeah, my music career is going well, but I was miserable, Mi. I missed you. I still do. None of this means anything if I don't have you to share it with. And we've always wanted a family, you know that," Mikayla had gotten down on her knees in front of me with the baby still in her arms and she took both of my hands into her free hand. I stared down at her as tears pooled in my eyes then fell down my cheeks, "I was miserable too. I wished so bad you could have been there for everything, but I… I didn't want you to regret anything." I looked away from her. "Regret what," Mikayla asked in confusion.

"Leaving your career for me," I mumbled then spoke a little louder, still avoiding her eyes, "If I had told you about the baby, you would have taken time off to be with us and that would have hurt your career because you were just starting out. Your music is so good, Mik, and it deserves to be heard. I had my music career. It was your chance to shine and I didn't want to be in the way of that." Mikayla shook her head as she released my hands and lifted hers to gently cup my cheek, making me look at her, "Miley, I love you. Don't you know that I would give up everything for you? My career could go down the tubes tomorrow, but I don't care as long as I have you and our daughter. My life means nothing without our family." More tears spilled from my eyes at her words, especially one in particular…_family_. I'd always longed for us to be a family.

After a few minutes, Mikayla broke the silence. "I didn't turn them in," she said slowly, "I signed them because I thought that was what you wanted. I mean, you didn't want me to come home, you stopped taking my calls. I thought you couldn't get past what had happened…it was just too painful… I thought you didn't want me in your life anymore…" "I signed them because I thought you wanted it too," I responded, "I thought you had moved on, that you had found someone else." "I could never be with anyone but you, Miley. Always and forever, remember," Mikayla asked with a small smile on her face. I nodded as I cupped her jaw, "I never stopped loving you, Mikayla." I leaned down close to her face, my lips inches from hers. I needed to feel her. It had been so long since I'd felt her touch… Mikayla rose to meet my lips and the moment they touched, I felt lightheaded, like I'd gone without air for too long. I gasped as I pulled away slightly only to place my hand at the back of her head and press our lips tightly together once again.

We were broken from our kiss by a loud cry and I suddenly felt my chest tighten in response. "I need to feed her," I told Mikayla. "Can I feed her," Mikayla asked, holding Brooke close, not wanting to let her go just yet. I smirked at her, "I don't exactly have any bottles prepared, Mik." Brooke's cries got louder and Mikayla gently rocked her to try and calm her down. "What do you mean you don't have any bottles prepared? How are you going to feed her… Oh…" she said with realization as she saw me start to unzip my hoodie. "Can you give her to me? She's really hungry. It's been a while since her last feeding," I said as I reached out for my daughter. Mikayla handed Brooke to me and I brought her to my breast where she immediately latched on and began to suck greedily. "Wow, she sure is hungry," Mikayla stared at her, amazed. "Yeah, she's a hearty little eater. Just like you," I smirked up at her and she blushed. "Excuse me, did I just make Mikayla Ann Gomez blush? Where are the paparazzi when I need them," I chuckled. "Stop," she said as she got slightly redder before a smirk graced her lips, "Besides, you probably wouldn't want a boob shot on the front page of a million magazines, all over the internet…" "Okay, okay. Touché," I chuckled.

Mikayla stared down as I fed our daughter and she smiled at the sight, realizing she could have almost lost this. She leaned down and kissed my lips before gently placing a kiss on Brooke's head, "I love you both so much." I looked up at her with glistening eyes and smiled, "I love you, Mik, and Brooke loves her mommy too." Mikayla grinned at the name. She'd always wanted to be a mother and now she had Miley back. Everything was perfect. She wanted to capture this moment forever. She discreetly took out her cell phone and snapped a picture of Miley nursing their daughter before making it her background screen. "Did you just take a boob shot," I asked after hearing a click. Mikayla pinched her lips together, trying to hide her smile, "Maybe…" Brooke had finished feeding and I brought her up to my shoulder, where she immediately burped right after. I got up and placed Brooke back into her crib then zipped up my hoodie before turning back to her. "You delete that picture right now, Mikayla Ann Gomez," I glared with a playful growl. "Why? It's a good picture. I was thinking about submitting it to People Magazine," she grinned. "Give me that phone," I said as I went to grab it from her, but she dodged my advances. "No, Miley Ray Gomez," she laughed, mocking me, "we're still married, remember?" "Not for long," I responded, pretending to be mad, "Where are those divorce papers?" I rushed out of the nursery and down the stairs with Mikayla hot on my heels.

I had just grabbed the envelope that held the papers when Mikayla wrapped her arms around my waist and pulled me onto the couch. I struggled, but I was only doing it weakly. I'd really missed being this close to her and relished in the feel of her body against mine. She kissed me hard on the lips and then I really did go weak. She grabbed the envelope from my hands and pulled back in triumph before thrusting her phone near my face. "Look," she said, "It's really not that bad. You can't see anything." I took the phone from her and stared at the picture, a smile forming on my lips. It really was a cute picture. "Still want those divorce papers," she smirked as she waved them in front of me. "No, you can rip them up. I might keep you around for a while," I said with a chuckle. "Good, I was going to anyway. Always and forever," she asked as she stared down at me with those deep piercing brown eyes of hers so full of love... I thought I'd never see that again. "Always and forever," I confirmed as I wrapped my arms around her neck and brought her down to my lips for a passionate kiss.

**Author's Note: **Hope you liked the story! Please review! The dresses they are wearing at their wedding are the one's Selena wore for her "A Year Without Rain" video and Miley's was the one she wore to the 2009 Golden Globes.


End file.
